The historical and cultural influences on today's Sudanese painters are profound -- Nubia, Kush, Islam, non-Islamic southern Sudan. The environment within which they work and/or grew up shapes their creativity in very conscious ways, even for those who live abroad. Diab introduces his dissertation by painting this multi-faceted cultural backdrop, before turning to a consideration of the academic environment which nurtures modern painters. What, for example, is the impact of Arabic culture and calligraphy as a source of artistic inspiration? The growth and development of the Khartoum School of Art are described along with the work of four individual artists: Omer Kahiry, Hassan Ali Ahmed, Mohammed Omer Khalil and Rashid Diab himself.

It is refreshing to see Sudanese artists of younger generations, as presented here. We have not been introduced to new artists for quite a while; so this book is a welcome addition to contemporary Sudanese art. The artists born in the 1960s to 1980s have lived in an era of adversity in the Sudan—economic doldrums, stringent Islamic culture & politics, underfunded art training, isolation from international artistic networks, lack of art criticism and a local art market. The idea for this book are two Sudanese women—Lina Haggar and Saeed Tarneem—which is interesting, since there are few women artists in Sudan (or in this book). Thirty artists are featured—five of whom are women. The balance still weighs heavily with the men. We are given short but a very informative essay on each artist, along with a portrait and illustrations of some art works.

The Khartoum school is the heart and soul of the modern art movement in the Sudan. All artists of stature and accomplishment have passed through or are affiliated with the College of Fine and Applied Art in Khartoum. The work of Sudanese artists draws heavily on an Arabic-Islamic heritage and, in particular, on the visual repertoire of Arabic calligraphy. Ahmad Muhammad Shibrain (1932- ) and Ibrahim El Salahi (1930- ) are the pre-eminent practitioners in the calligraphic tradition, although both have created distinctive styles. The abstract sculptures of Amir I.M. Nour (1939- ) capture the forms and contours of the Sudanese landscape.